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Party bus engulfed in flames as concert goers leave Orpheum in Vancouver

A burning bus on Smithe St. Saturday, Nov. 18. Courtesy @Gdiddy86 on Twitter

Summary

Few details are available, including any injuries or the extent of the damage

Crews had Smithe St. closed to deal with the fire

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Inside, people were treated to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Jurassic Park, but outside, they were met by a party bus fully engulfed with flames shooting into the air.

Smithe St. was closed between Granville and Seymour as Vancouver Fire crews poured water on the smouldering vehicle. The fire was out before 11:30 p.m. and a number of fire crews remained on scene near the husk of the bus.

Vancouver Police Inspector Jeff Harris says no one was hurt. “The bus driver smelled smoke, pulled over the bus and went to investigate. When he opened the back door to the bus, it looked like the thing exploded in flames. We don’t know what it was, it’s probably some kind of electrical fire.”

“There was a little bit of concern about the transit trolley wires, those sort of things, so [crews] wanted to make sure that they didn’t get cooked at all and become unsafe.”

The front doors of the theatre were blocked off because of the fire so people had to use alternate exits.

“I just came out and VPD and VFD were already on the scene, and they were already extinguishing it,” this woman tells NEWS 1130. “You could tell that it was a party bus, people were definitely all very shocked and all pulling out their phones.”